Yu Mei is committed to the stewardship over the regenerative lifecycle of our products and we are researching ways to improve our products' natural degradation back into the land to be recognised by nature and improve soil health for generations to come. To encourage the repurposing and recycling of the leather used in Yu Mei bags, Yu Mei has a Buyback Initiative which works to extend a product’s useful life through mending and refurbishing. These bags are resold at our annual Archive events, which are also a key mechanism for utilising scraps and offcuts that are sent back from offshore production; and we work closely with our factories on innovative ways to achieve efficient cutting yields to minimise production waste.

As leather is a natural product, the tanning process can create variation through hides. Traditionally, brands may only accept leather of a certain finish, however, we work with our manufacturers to find solutions, such as innovative cutting practices, that ensure the premium quality of Yu Mei products is upheld while limiting potential waste.